My Little Pony - You Are My Sunshine
by LadyZoolander
Summary: The origin of Princess Celestia, and the years of heartache she has suffered. Once surrounded by family members, she looks back upon her past wondering if she made one mistake too many.
1. The Sun Rises

A pair of white silk curtains fluttered gently as a soothing breeze drifted through the tall windows of the palace. Queen Stella stood over the crib of her newborn baby, singing softly to her.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you, so don't take my sunshine away." The baby cooed sweetly as her mother sang to her, watching the light dance around her mother's halo of hair that moved like liquid in the breeze. The door opened quietly, and in walked her father, King Cosmos.

"Stella, my dear, you really should rest," he whispered, "you've been through so much. I'll look after the baby for a few hours."

"I don't want to leave her side," she grinned, even though her eyes were showing signs of exhaustion, "she's so beautiful! Oh Cosmos, she's everything we've ever dreamed of! Plus, we still need to name her."

"There will be time for that, my dear. Equestria still does not know of her arrival, and are in no hurry for her name. We will decide when the time is right." Suddenly, the sun began to shine a little brighter through the windows, and a huge sunbeam cast itself through one of the faceted panes of the stained glass. This created a large circle of light around the baby, making her look as though she was glowing with the sun.

"Look, Cosmos!" gasped Stella, "Doesn't she look magical? Almost celestial!" The two alicorns turned to each other. They both knew they had a name for their daughter. King Cosmos leaned into the crib and kissed his child on her forehead.

"Celestia," he beamed proudly.

"Celestia," agreed his queen.

"Go on. I will take my turn to watch over her. Get some rest." The Queen smiled sweetly as she tiptoed out of the room. "Daddy's little princess, Celestia."


	2. Sister Separation

Celestia was chasing her little sister Luna around the castle one morning, when they were stopped in their tracks by their father.

"Celestia," he said in a very serious tone, "come with me."

"But Daddy, we were just -" the filly protested.

"Just come with me." She looked back at Luna, who was welling up thinking she had caused her big sister to be in trouble with their father. He led her into his study, which had the most majestic view of the river that ran between the Everfree Forest and their town.

"Celestia," he sighed, "you are growing up fast, and your mother and I believe it is time to prepare you for your future."

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"Well, some day you are to be Queen of Equestria, and it takes a lot of work and learning to become an effective leader. I believe now is right for you to begin your training." Celestia blinked at her father, still bewildered at the idea of being queen.

"So, does this mean I don't get to play with Luna anymore?"

"You'll have time to play with your sister later. She has a lot to learn too, but you are the eldest, and so must begin your training earlier." She now looked blankly at the desk in front of her, wondering what changes her father was talking about. He made being King look easy, as did her mother. She never thought it would take preparation and dedication to become Queen, nor did it ever occur to her that she would ever become Queen.

"Consider this lesson number one: you are a young lady now. That means you must act like one," her father said with a hinting tone in his voice, "starting now. I know you like playing games around the castle with your sister, but ladies do not roughhouse with each other or run around in the mud. They do not rush away from the dinner table the moment they are finished, and they use their napkin and cutlery appropriately. They are softly spoken, and do not engage in childish acts that are somewhat embarrassing. Princesses wear their crown proudly on their head, and walk with grace to emphasise the importance of their crown." Celestia continued to look confused.

"Come with me," he whispered, motioning to her to follow him into the hallway.

"Celestia! Celestia!" Luna cried from the hallway as she saw her sister exiting her father's study, "let's go play horseshoes out in the courtyard!"

"Not now, Luna," her father explained, "your sister and I have something to talk about. You run along now." Before either filly could say anything to one another King Cosmos had ushered his eldest daughter along the vast corridor and out of sight, leaving Luna looking crushed.

King Cosmos opened the double doors of a large room at the top of one of the towers of their castle and led Celestia inside. The walls were covered in paintings of ancestors from their family. Celestia was drawn to one particular picture of a Unicorn and a Pegasus standing beside one another.

"This," Cosmos explained, "is a picture of your grandparents, and their grandparents were directly involved in establishing the Kingdom of Equestria. You see, Chancellor Puddinghead had two foals; one colt named Chip and one filly named Coco. Princess Platinum, daughter of King Bullion, who was king of the unicorns, also had a filly called Venus, and Commander Hurricane's son was named Windshine. It had been arranged by the three founding families that their children would marry one another, and so it was decided that Chip and Venus were betrothed and Coco and Windshine also engaged. When they had children, it was decided that the eldest mare and stallion from either side would one day marry. Luckily, Chip and Venus had a daughter; Moonstone, and Coco and Windshine had a son; Sunstorm. They were married, and soon after they had a son and a daughter; myself and your Aunt Galaxia."

"Wait a minute, your parents are cousins?!" exclaimed Celestia.

"Yes, but that is perfectly normal in most royal families. The three founding families did this in order to breed ponies with the traits of the Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi. It would have taken generations to do this without my parents. That is why you and I are Alicorns."

"Does that mean that you and Mother are cousins also?"

"No, dear. Your mother is from Maretonia, where they did the same as my family. We only became betrothed when my parents arranged with hers after signing a peace treaty between the two nations. Your mother did not become an Alicorn until we were married." He walked over to a cabinet filled with a row of crowns and tiaras.

"I have kept this here since you were born," he sighed happily, using his magic to lift a golden tiara from the case. It had one large central peak that was rounded off at the top and two smaller identical peaks on either side, and an oval-cut amethyst in the middle of the central peak.

"This is your tiara. It is a symbol of all that you are and all that you will become. I want you to practice wearing it now. Wear it whenever you leave your chamber, and any time we leave the castle you must wear it from now on to show all of Equestria that the next Alicorn that will reign over them takes her role seriously. Can you do that for me?" Celestia paused for a second. This meant no more having fun with Luna, and that she was to spend the rest of her days as a filly a prisoner in her own home, learning the proper way to become a princess. She then remembered how proudly her father spoke of her ancestors and their duties. She had to, for the sake of her kingdom. Realising this, she turned to her father and nodded.

"Good girl." He laid the tiara on her head and smiled proudly at her, then opened the door and indicated for her to leave.

"Go on. Have a little practice." She never realised that something that looked small could be so heavy on her head. She pranced along the grand hallway as if it was a catwalk, only to discover that made the tiara feel as though it would slip from her head with every step, and so tried a different approach. Slowly, the tiara began to feel lighter and steadier, and she grew more confident in her walk. This was only the beginning, and both Celestia and Cosmos knew she had a long way to go.


End file.
